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January 1
January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years). Contents 1 History 2 Events 3 Births 4 Deaths 5 Holidays and observances 6 External links History During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – December 25 (the Nativity of Jesus), March 1, March 25 (the Annunciation), or even Easter. Eastern European countries (most of them with populations showing allegiance to the Orthodox Church) began their numbered year on September 1 from about 988. In England, January 1 was celebrated as the New Year festival, but from the 12th century to 1752 the year in England began on March 25 (Lady Day). So, for example, the Parliamentary record notes the execution of Charles I as occurring on January 30, 1648, (as the year did not end until March 24), although modern histories adjust the start of the year to January 1 and record the execution as occurring in 1649. Most western European countries changed the start of the year to January 1 before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. For example, Scotland changed the start of the Scottish New Year to January 1 in 1600. England, Ireland and the British colonies changed the start of the year to January 1 in 1752. Later that year in September, the Gregorian calendar was introduced throughout Britain and the British colonies. These two reforms were implemented by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750. January 1 became the official start of the year as follows: 1362 Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1522 Republic of Venice 1544 Holy Roman Empire (Germany) 1556 Spain, Portugal 1559 Prussia, Sweden 1564 France 1576 Southern Netherlands 1579 Duchy of Lorraine 1583 Northern Netherlands 1600 Scotland 1700 Russia 1721 Tuscany 1752 Great Britain (excluding Scotland) and its colonies Events 153 BC – Roman consuls begin their year in office. 45 BC – The Julian calendar takes effect as the civil calendar of the Roman Empire, establishing January 1 as the new date of the new year. 42 BC – The Roman Senate posthumously deifies Julius Caesar 69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. 193 – The Senate chooses Pertinax against his will to succeed Commodus as Roman emperor. 404 – Telemachus, a Christian monk, is killed for attempting to stop a gladiators' fight in the public arena held in Rome. 414 – Galla Placidia, half-sister of Emperor Honorius, is married to the Visigothic king Ataulf at Narbonne. The wedding is celebrated with Roman festivities and magnificent gifts from the Gothic booty. 417 – Emperor Honorius forces Galla Placidia into marriage to Constantius, his famous general (magister militum). 1001 – Grand Prince Stephen I of Hungary is named the first King of Hungary by Pope Sylvester II. 1068 – Romanos IV Diogenes marries Eudokia Makrembolitissa and is crowned Byzantine Emperor. 1259 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is proclaimed co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea with his ward John IV Laskaris. 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg is crowned King of Hungary. 1502 – The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is first explored by the Portuguese. 1515 – King Francis I of France succeeds to the French throne. 1527 – Croatian nobles elect Ferdinand I of Austria as King of Croatia in the Parliament on Cetin. 1600 – Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25. 1651 – Charles II is crowned King of Scotland. 1700 – Russia begins using the Anno Domini era and no longer uses the Anno Mundi era of the Byzantine Empire. 1707 – John V is crowned King of Portugal. 1739 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier. 1772 – The first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities, go on sale in London, England. 1773 – The hymn that became known as "Amazing Grace", then titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" is first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton in the town of Olney, England. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Norfolk, Virginia is burned by combined Royal Navy and Continental Army action. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781. 1788 – First edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published. 1801 – The legislative union of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland is completed to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1801 – The dwarf planet Ceres is discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi. 1803 – Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam. 1804 – French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States 1806 – The French Republican Calendar is abolished. 1808 – The importation of slaves into the United States is banned. 1810 – Major-General Lachlan Macquarie officially becomes Governor of New South Wales 1812 – The Bishop of Durham, Shute Barrington, orders troops from Durham Castle to break up a miners' strike in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham 1822 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus. 1833 – The United Kingdom claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. 1845 – The Cobble Hill Tunnel in Brooklyn, New York City is completed. 1847 – The world's first "Mercy" Hospital is founded in Pittsburgh by the Sisters of Mercy; the name will go on to grace over 30 major hospitals throughout the world. 1860 – First Polish stamp is issued. 1861 – Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City, Mexico. 1863 – American Civil War: The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territory. 1863 – The first claim under the Homestead Act is made by Daniel Freeman for a farm in Nebraska. 1871 – Adolf Loos, architect, co-founder of modern architecture, baptized in St. Thomas church, Brno, Moravia 1873 – Japan begins using the Gregorian calendar. 1877 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom is proclaimed Empress of India. 1881 – Ferdinand de Lesseps begins French construction of the Panama Canal. 1885 – Twenty-five nations adopt Sandford Fleming's proposal for standard time (and also, time zones) 1890 – Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government. 1890 – The Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held. 1892 – Ellis Island opens to begin processing immigrants into the United States. 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal, is officially opened to traffic. 1898 – New York, New York annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York. The four initial boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx, are joined on January 25 by Staten Island to create the modern city of five boroughs. 1899 – Spanish rule ends in Cuba. 1901 – Nigeria becomes a British protectorate. 1901 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton is appointed the first Prime Minister. 1902 – The first American college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford, is held in Pasadena, California. 1906 – British India officially adopts Indian Standard Time. 1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight. 1909 – Drilling begins on the Lakeview Gusher. 1910 – Captain David Beatty is promoted to Rear admiral, and becomes the youngest admiral in the Royal Navy (except for Royal family members), since Horatio Nelson. 1911 – Northern Territory is separated from South Australia and transferred to Commonwealth control. 1912 – The Republic of China is established. 1913 – The British Board of Censors is established. 1916 – German troops abandon Yaoundé and their Kamerun colony to British forces and begin the long march to Spanish Guinea. 1920 – The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party. 1923 – Britain's Railways are grouped into the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, and LMS. 1927 – The Cristero War begins in Mexico. 1927 – Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar: December 18, 1926 (Julian), is immediately followed by January 1, 1927 (Gregorian). 1928 – Boris Bazhanov defects through Iran. He is the only assistant of Joseph Stalin's secretariat to have defected from the Eastern Bloc. 1929 – The former municipalities of Point Grey, British Columbia and South Vancouver, British Columbia are amalgamated into Vancouver. 1932 – The United States Post Office Department issues a set of 12 stamps commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. 1934 – Alcatraz Island becomes a United States federal prison. 1934 – Nazi Germany passes the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring". 1937 – Safety glass in vehicle windscreens becomes mandatory in the United Kingdom. 1939 – Sydney, Australia, swelters in 45 ˚C (113 ˚F) heat, a record for the city. 1942 – The Declaration by United Nations is signed by twenty-six nations. 1945 – World War II: In retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, U.S. troops massacre 60 German POWs at Chenogne. 1945 – World War II: The German Luftwaffe launches Operation Bodenplatte, a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow. 1947 – The American and British occupation zones in Germany, after World War II, merge to form the Bizone, which later (with the French zone) became part of West Germany. 1947 – The Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 comes into effect, converting British subjects into Canadian citizens. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen. 1948 – The British railway network is nationalized to form British Railways. 1948 – The Constitution of Italy comes into force. 1949 – United Nations cease-fire takes effect in Kashmir from one minute before midnight. War between India and Pakistan stops accordingly. 1949 –Tokelau becomes part of New Zealand. 1950 – Standard practice uses this day as the origin of the age scale Before Present 1954 – NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade, with public demonstrations given across the United States on prototype color receivers. 1956 – Sudan achieves independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom. 1956 – A new year event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine, Yahiko, Niigata, Japan, killing at least 124 people. 1957 – George Town, Penang becomes a city by a royal charter granted by Elizabeth II. 1957 – An Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit attacks Brookeborough RUC barracks during Operation Harvest; two IRA volunteers killed. 1958 – The European Economic Community is established. 1959 – Fulgencio Batista, dictator of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution. 1960 – Cameroon achieves independence from France and the United Kingdom. 1962 – Western Samoa achieves independence from New Zealand; its name is changed to the Independent State of Western Samoa. 1962 – United States Navy SEALs established. 1964 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is divided into the independent republics of Zambia and Malawi, and the British-controlled Rhodesia. 1965 – The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan is founded in Kabul, Afghanistan. 1966 – A twelve-day New York City transit strike begins. 1966 – After a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa assumes power as president of the Central African Republic. 1966 – 2 Garuda Indonesia Airways (GIA) Dakota DC-3 airplanes, PK-GDU dan PK-GDE, collided airborne during landing approach to Palembang airport and crashed in mangrove swamps forest outside Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. No survivor. 1970 – Unix time begins at 00:00:00 UTC/GMT. 1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television. 1971 – Hellenic Railways Organisation, the Greek national railway company, is founded. 1973 – Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Ireland are admitted into the European Economic Community. 1977 – Charter 77 published its first document. 1978 – Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashes into the sea, due to instrument failure and pilot disorientation, off the coast of Bombay, India, killing 213. 1978 – The Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands becomes effective. 1979 – Formal diplomatic relations are established between China and the United States. 1980 – Victoria is crowned princess of Sweden. 1981 – Greece is admitted into the European Community. 1981 – Palau achieves self-government though it is not independent from the United States. 1982 – Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar becomes the first Latin American to hold the title of Secretary-General of the United Nations. 1983 – The ARPANET officially changes to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. 1984 – The original American Telephone & Telegraph Company is divested of its 22 Bell System companies as a result of the settlement of the 1974 United States Department of Justice antitrust suit against AT&T. 1984 – Brunei becomes independent of the United Kingdom. 1984 – Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (SHIA, Code: CGK) serving Jakarta, Indonesia, is officially opened. 1985 – The first British mobile phone call is made by Michael Harrison to his father Sir Ernest Harrison, chairman of Vodafone. 1986 – Aruba becomes independent of Curaçao, though it remains in free association with the Netherlands. 1986 – Spain and Portugal are admitted into the European Community. 1987 – A value-added tax is introduced in Greece for the first time. 1988 – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America comes into existence, creating the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States. 1989 – The Montreal Protocol comes into force, stopping the use of chemicals contributing to ozone depletion. 1990 – David Dinkins is sworn in as New York City's first black mayor. 1993 – Dissolution of Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 1993 – A single market within the European Community is introduced. 1994 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation initiates twelve days of armed conflict in the Mexican state of Chiapas. 1994 – The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. 1995 – The World Trade Organization goes into effect. 1995 – Sweden, Austria, and Finland are admitted into the European Union. 1995 – The Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe becomes the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 1995 – The Draupner wave in the North Sea in Norway is detected, confirming the existence of freak waves. 1996 – Curaçao gains limited self-government, though it remains within free association with the Netherlands. 1997 – Zaire officially joins the World Trade Organization. 1997 – Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan is appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations. 1998 – Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence. 1998 – The European Central Bank is established. 1999 – The Euro currency is introduced in 11 countries - members of the European Union (with the exception of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece and Sweden). 2002 – Euro banknotes and coins become legal tender in twelve of the European Union's member states. 2002 – Taiwan officially joins the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei. 2002 – The Open Skies mutual surveillance treaty, initially signed in 1992, officially comes into force. 2004 – In a vote of confidence, General Pervez Musharraf wins 658 out of 1,170 votes in the Electoral College of Pakistan, and according to Article 41(8) of the Constitution of Pakistan, is "deemed to be elected" to the office of President until October 2007. 2007 – Bulgaria and Romania officially join the European Union. Slovenia joins Eurozone. 2007 – Adam Air Flight 574 disappears over Sulawesi Strait, Indonesia with 102 people on board. 2008 – Cyprus and Malta join the Eurozone. 2009 – Sixty-six people die in a nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand. 2009 – Slovakia joins the Eurozone. 2010 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100 more. 2011 – A bomb explodes as Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, leave a new year service, killing 23 people. 2011 – The Kallikratis plan becomes the new administrative system of Greece. 2011 – Estonia becomes the 17th member of the Eurozone. 2012 – A Moldovan civilian is fatally wounded by a Russian peacekeeper in the Transnistrian security zone, leading to demonstrations against Russia. 2013 – At least 60 people are killed and 200 injured in a stampede after celebrations at Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. 2014 – Latvia becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone. 2014 – Asteroid 2014 AA impacts the Earth over the Atlantic Ocean. 2015 – The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. 2015 – Lithuania becomes the 19th member of the Eurozone. 2016 – The Address Downtown Dubai burns over midnight as the New Year is rung in. The blaze started on the night of New Year's Eve 2015, by currently unknown causes. There was one fatality. Births 870 – Zwentibold, Frankish son of Arnulf of Carinthia (d. 900) 1431 – Pope Alexander VI (d. 1503) 1449 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian politician (d. 1492) 1467 – Sigismund I the Old, Polish king (d. 1548) 1484 – Huldrych Zwingli, Swiss pastor and theologian (d. 1531) 1488 – Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (d. 1543) 1516 – Margaret Leijonhufvud, Swedish wife of Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1551) 1557 – Stephen Bocskay, Romanian prince (d. 1606) 1600 – Friedrich Spanheim, Dutch theologian and academic (d. 1649) 1628 – Christoph Bernhard, German composer and theorist (d. 1692) 1638 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (d. 1685) 1655 – Christian Thomasius, German jurist and philosopher (d. 1728) 1684 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch scholar and author (d. 1748) 1704 – Soame Jenyns, English author, poet, and politician (d. 1787) 1709 – Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz, German-Dutch organ builder (d. 1770) 1711 – Baron Franz von der Trenck, Austrian soldier (d. 1749) 1714 – Giovanni Battista Mancini, Italian soprano and author (d. 1800) 1714 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (d. 1780) 1735 – Paul Revere, American silversmith and engraver (d. 1818) 1745 – Anthony Wayne, American general and politician (d. 1796) 1750 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American minister and politician, 1st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1801) 1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress, designed the Flag of the United States (d. 1836) 1768 – Maria Edgeworth, English-Irish author (d. 1849) 1774 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist and academic (d. 1860) 1779 – William Clowes, English publisher (d. 1847) 1803 – Guglielmo Libri Carucci dalla Sommaja, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1869) 1806 – Lionel Kieseritzky, Estonian-French chess player (d. 1853) 1814 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel leader (d. 1864) 1819 – Arthur Hugh Clough, English-Italian poet and academic (d. 1861) 1823 – Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet and activist (d. 1849) 1833 – Robert Lawson, Scottish-New Zealand architect, designed the Otago Boys' High School and Knox Church (d. 1902) 1834 – Ludovic Halévy, French author and playwright (d. 1908) 1839 – Ouida, English-Italian author and activist (d. 1908) 1848 – John W. Goff, Irish-American lawyer and politician (d. 1924) 1852 – Eugène-Anatole Demarçay, French chemist and academic (d. 1904) 1854 – James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and academic (d. 1941) 1859 – Thibaw Min, Burmese king (d. 1916) 1860 – John Cassidy, Irish sculptor and painter (d. 1939) 1860 – Dan Katchongva, American tribal leader and activist (d. 1972) 1860 – Michele Lega, Italian cardinal (d. 1935) 1860 – Jan Vilímek, Czech illustrator and painter (d. 1938) 1863 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (d. 1937) 1864 – Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer and curator (d. 1946) 1864 – Qi Baishi, Chinese painter (d. 1957) 1867 – Mary Ackworth Evershed, English astronomer and Dante scholar (d. 1949) 1867 – Lew Fields, American actor, producer, and manager (d. 1941) 1868 – Snitz Edwards, Hungarian-American actor (d. 1937) 1871 – Montagu Toller, English cricketer and lawyer (d. 1948) 1873 – Mariano Azuela, Mexican physician and author (d. 1952) 1874 – Frank Knox, American publisher and politician, 46th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1944) 1874 – Gustave Whitehead, German-American pilot and engineer (d. 1927) 1877 – Alexander von Staël-Holstein, German sinologist and orientalist (d. 1937) 1878 – Agner Krarup Erlang, Danish mathematician, statistician, and engineer (d. 1929) 1879 – E. M. Forster, English author and playwright (d. 1970) 1879 – William Fox, Hungarian-American screenwriter and producer, founded the Fox Film Corporation and Fox Theatres (d. 1952) 1880 – Vajiravudh, Thai king (d. 1925) 1883 – William J. Donovan, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1959) 1884 – Chikuhei Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant, engineer, and politician, founded Nakajima Aircraft Company (d. 1949) 1885 – Béla Balogh, Hungarian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1945) 1887 – Wilhelm Canaris, German admiral (d. 1945) 1888 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand rifle (d. 1974) 1888 – Georgios Stanotas, Greek general (d. 1965) 1889 – Charles Bickford, American actor (d. 1967) 1890 – Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer and academic (d. 1966) 1891 – Sampurnanand, Indian educator and politician, 3rd Governor of Rajasthan (d. 1969) 1892 – Mahadev Desai, Indian author and activist (d. 1942) 1892 – Artur Rodziński, Polish-American conductor (d. 1958) 1892 – Manuel Roxas, Filipino lawyer and politician, 5th President of the Philippines (d. 1948) 1893 – Mordechai Frizis, Greek colonel (d. 1940) 1894 – Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974) 1894 – Iván Petrovich, Serbian-German actor and singer (d. 1962) 1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American law enforcement official; 1st Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 1972) 1900 – Xavier Cugat, Spanish-American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1990) 1900 – Chiune Sugihara, Japanese soldier and diplomat (d. 1986) 1902 – Buster Nupen, South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1977) 1904 – Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (d. 1982) 1905 – Stanisław Mazur, Ukrainian-Polish mathematician and theorist (d. 1981) 1907 – Kinue Hitomi, Japanese sprinter and long jumper (d. 1931) 1908 – Bill Tapia, American singer and guitarist (d. 2011) 1909 – Dana Andrews, American actor (d. 1992) 1909 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (d. 1949) 1909 – Stepan Bandera, Ukrainian soldier and politician (d. 1959) 1910 – Koesbini, Indonesian composer (d. 1991) 1911 – Audrey Wurdemann, American poet and author (d. 1960) 1911 – Basil Dearden, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1971) 1911 – Hank Greenberg, American baseball player and lieutenant (d. 1986) 1911 – Necdet Kent, Turkish diplomat (d. 2002) 1911 – Roman Totenberg, Polish-American violinist and educator (d. 2012) 1912 – Boris Vladimirovich Gnedenko, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1995) 1912 – Kim Philby, British spy (d. 1988) 1912 – Nikiforos Vrettakos, Greek poet and academic (d. 1991) 1917 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (d. 2016) 1918 – Patrick Anthony Porteous, Scottish colonel, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000) 1918 – Ed Price, American soldier, pilot, and politician (d. 2012) 1919 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer and actor (d. 1990) 1919 – Carole Landis, American actress and singer (d. 1948) 1919 – J. D. Salinger, American soldier and author (d. 2010) 1919 – Yoshio Tabata, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013) 1920 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (d. 2007) 1920 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian-American violinist (d. 2013) 1921 – Ismail al-Faruqi, Palestinian-American philosopher and academic (d. 1986) 1921 – César Baldaccini, French sculptor and academic (d. 1998) 1921 – Regina Bianchi, Italian actress (d. 2013) 1921 – John Strawson, English general (d. 2014) 1922 – Ernest Hollings, American soldier and politician, 106th Governor of South Carolina 1922 – Roz Howard, American race car driver (d. 2013) 1922 – Jerry Robinson, American illustrator (d. 2011) 1923 – Valentina Cortese, Italian actress 1923 – Daniel Gorenstein, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992) 1923 – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist and composer (Modern Jazz Quartet) (d. 1999) 1924 – Charlie Munger, American businessman and philanthropist 1924 – Francisco Macías Nguema, Equatorial Guinean politician, 1st President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea (d. 1979) 1925 – Matthew Beard, American actor and singer (d. 1981) 1925 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (d. 2005) 1926 – Kazys Petkevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (d. 2008) 1926 – Richard Verreau, Canadian tenor and actor (d. 2005) 1927 – Maurice Béjart, French-Swiss dancer, choreographer, and director (d. 2007) 1927 – Calum MacKay, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2001) 1927 – Vernon L. Smith, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate 1927 – Doak Walker, American football player and businessman (d. 1998) 1928 – Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984) 1928 – Vello Viisimaa, Estonian actor and singer (d. 1991) 1928 – Gerhard Weinberg, German-American historian, author, and academic 1929 – Raymond Chow, Hong Kong film producer, co-founded Orange Sky Golden Harvest 1929 – Larry L. King, American journalist, author, and playwright (d. 2012) 1930 – Jean-Pierre Duprey, French poet and sculptor (d. 1959) 1930 – Ty Hardin, American actor 1930 – Gaafar Nimeiry, Egyptian-Sudanese politician, 4th President of the Sudan (d. 2009) 1930 – Frederick Wiseman, American director and producer 1931 – Jimmy Smyth, Irish hurler (d. 2013) 1932 – Leman Çıdamlı, Turkish actress (d. 2012) 1932 – Jackie Parker, American football player and coach (d. 2006) 1932 – Giuseppe Patanè, Italian conductor (d. 1989) 1933 – James Hormel, American philanthropist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Luxembourg 1933 – Joseph Koo, Chinese composer and conductor 1933 – Frederick Lowy, Canadian psychiatrist and academic 1933 – Joe Orton, English author and playwright (d. 1967) 1934 – Alan Berg, American lawyer and radio host (d. 1984) 1934 – Lakhdar Brahimi, Algerian politician, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs 1935 – Brian G. Hutton, American actor and director (d. 2014) 1935 – B. Kliban, American cartoonist (d. 1990) 1936 – Don Nehlen, American football player and coach 1936 – James Sinegal, American businessman, co-founded Costco 1937 – John Fuller, English poet and author 1937 – Petros Markaris, Greek author, poet, and playwright 1937 – Matt Robinson, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2002) 1938 – Clay Cole, American television host and producer (d. 2010) 1938 – Robert Jankel, English businessman, founded Panther Westwinds (d. 2005) 1938 – Frank Langella, American actor 1939 – Michèle Mercier, French actress 1939 – Phil Read, English motorcycle racer and businessman 1941 – Asrani, Indian actor and producer 1941 – Martin Evans, English-Welsh geneticist and academic 1941 – Younoussi Touré, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali 1942 – Al Hunt, American journalist 1942 – Alassane Ouattara, Ivorian economist and politician, President of the Ivory Coast 1942 – Anthony Hamilton-Smith, 3rd Baron Colwyn, English dentist and politician 1942 – Dennis Archer, American lawyer and politician, 67th Mayor of Detroit 1942 – Gennadi Sarafanov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2005) 1943 – Bud Hollowell, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014) 1943 – Don Novello, American comedian, screenwriter and producer 1943 – Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, Indian rheologist and engineer 1943 – Ronald Perelman, American businessman and philanthropist, founded MacAndrews & Forbes 1943 – Tony Knowles, American soldier and politician, 7th Governor of Alaska 1943 – Vladimir Šeks, Croatian lawyer and politician, 16th Speaker of the Croatian Parliament 1944 – Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese field marshal and politician, 7th President of Sudan 1944 – Jimmy Hart, American wrestling manager and singer (The Gentrys) 1944 – Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistani field hockey player and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Pakistan 1944 – Teresa Torańska, Polish journalist and author (d. 2013) 1944 – Mati Unt, Estonian author, playwright, and director (d. 2005) 1945 – Jacky Ickx, Belgian race car driver 1945 – Martin Schanche, Norwegian race car driver 1946 – Rivellino, Brazilian footballer and manager 1946 – Carl B. Hamilton, Swedish economist and politician 1946 – Shelby Steele, American journalist, author, and director 1947 – Jon Corzine, American sergeant and politician, 54th Governor of New Jersey 1947 – Leonard Thompson, American golfer 1948 – Devlet Bahçeli, Turkish economist, academic, and politician, 57th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey 1948 – Pavel Grachev, Russian general and politician, 1st Russian Minister of Defence (d. 2012) 1948 – Joe Petagno, American illustrator 1948 – Dick Quax, New Zealand runner and politician 1949 – Max Azria, Tunisian-French fashion designer 1949 – Olivia Goldsmith, American author (d. 2004) 1949 – Borys Tarasyuk, Ukrainian politician and diplomat 1950 – Wayne Bennett, Australian rugby player and coach 1950 – Tony Currie, English footballer 1950 – Morgan Fisher, English keyboard player and songwriter (Mott the Hoople and Morgan) 1950 – Deepa Mehta, Indian-Canadian director and screenwriter 1950 – James Richardson, American poet and academic 1951 – Prospero Gallinari, Italian terrorist (d. 2013) 1951 – Ashfaq Hussain, Pakistani-Canadian poet and journalist 1951 – Martha P. Haynes, American astronomer and academic 1951 – Hans-Joachim Stuck, German race car driver 1952 – Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatari ruler, 7th Emir of Qatar 1952 – Shaji N. Karun, Indian director and cinematographer 1952 – Rosario Marchese, Italian-Canadian educator and politician 1953 – Greg Carmichael, English guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy) 1953 – Gary Johnson, American businessman and politician, 29th Governor of New Mexico 1953 – Lynn Jones, American baseball player and coach 1954 – Richard Edson, American drummer and actor (Sonic Youth and Konk) 1954 – Bob Menendez, American lawyer and politician 1954 – Dennis O'Driscoll, Irish poet and critic (d. 2012) 1954 – Yannis Papathanasiou, Greek engineer and politician, Greek Minister of Finance 1955 – Precious, Canadian wrestler and manager 1955 – LaMarr Hoyt, American baseball player 1955 – Gennady Lyachin, Russian captain (d. 2000) 1956 – Sergei Avdeyev, Russian engineer and astronaut 1956 – Mark R. Hughes, American businessman, founded Herbalife (d. 2000) 1956 – Christine Lagarde, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Finance 1956 – Mike Mitchell, American basketball player (d. 2011) 1956 – Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese pianist and composer 1957 – Urmas Arumäe, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice 1957 – Evangelos Venizelos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece 1958 – Dave Silk, American ice hockey player and coach 1958 – Grandmaster Flash, Barbadian rapper and DJ (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five) 1959 – Andy Andrews, American tennis player 1959 – Azali Assoumani, Comorian colonel and politician, President of the Comoros 1959 – Panagiotis Giannakis, Greek basketball player and coach 1959 – Abdul Ahad Mohmand, Afghan colonel, pilot, and astronaut 1959 – Michel Onfray, French philosopher and author 1960 – Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Mexican wrestler 1960 – Hakan Karahan, Turkish author, poet, and songwriter 1960 – Michael Seibert, American ice dancer and choreographer 1960 – Toomas Vitsut, Estonian businessman and politician 1960 – Danny Wilson, English footballer and manager 1961 – Sergei Babayan, Armenian-American pianist and academic 1961 – Sam Palahnuk, American video game designer 1961 – Fiona Phillips, English journalist 1962 – Anton Muscatelli, Italian-Scottish economist and academic 1963 – Alberigo Evani, Italian footballer and manager 1963 – Jean-Marc Gounon, French race car driver 1964 – Dedee Pfeiffer, American actress and producer 1965 – Andrew Valmon, American runner and coach 1965 – John Sullivan, American real estate agent and politician 1966 – Anna Burke, Australian businesswoman and politician, 28th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives 1966 – Ivica Dačić, Serbian journalist and politician, 95th Prime Minister of Serbia 1967 – Derrick Thomas, American football player (d. 2000) 1967 – Spencer Tunick, American photographer 1967 – Juanma Bajo Ulloa, Spanish director and screenwriter 1968 – Felix Chong, Hong Kong actor, director, and screenwriter 1968 – Miki Higashino, Japanese pianist and composer 1968 – Davor Šuker, Croatian footballer 1969 – Morris Chestnut, American actor and producer 1969 – Paul Lawrie, Scottish golfer and journalist 1969 – Verne Troyer, American actor and stuntman 1970 – Sergei Kiriakov, Russian footballer and manager 1970 – Kimberly Page, American wrestling manager and actress 1971 – Phoebus, Greek songwriter and producer 1971 – Rodney, American wrestler 1971 – Sammie Henson, American wrestler and coach 1971 – Bobby Holík, Czech-American ice hockey player and coach 1971 – Kalabhavan Mani, Indian actor and singer (d. 2016) 1971 – Juan Carlos Plata, Guatemalan footballer 1971 – Chris Potter, American saxophonist and composer 1971 – Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician 1972 – Barron Miles, American-Canadian football player and coach 1972 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer 1973 – Shelda Bede, Brazilian volleyball player 1973 – Li Fang, Chinese tennis player 1973 – Danny Lloyd, American actor and educator 1973 – Magnus Sahlgren, Swedish guitarist and linguist (Lake of Tears, Dismember and Tiamat) 1973 – Bryan Thao Worra, Laotian-American author, poet, and playwright 1974 – Christian Paradis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Canadian Minister of Industry 1975 – Mohamed Albuflasa, Bahraini poet and activist 1975 – Chris Anstey, Australian basketball player and coach 1975 – Joe Cannon, American soccer player and sportscaster 1975 – Becky Kellar-Duke, Canadian ice hockey player 1975 – Bengt Sæternes, Norwegian footballer and manager 1975 – Fernando Tatís, Dominican baseball player 1976 – Mustafa Doğan, Turkish-German footballer and sportscaster 1977 – María de la Paz Hernández, Argentinian field hockey player 1977 – Leoš Friedl, Czech tennis player 1977 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian and television host 1977 – Hasan Salihamidžić, Bosnian footballer and sportscaster 1977 – Jerry Yan, Taiwanese actor and singer (F4) 1978 – Vidya Balan, Indian model and actress 1978 – Philip Mulryne, Northern Irish footballer and priest 1979 – Brody Dalle, Australian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Distillers and Spinnerette) 1979 – Koichi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor (KinKi Kids) 1980 – Richie Faulkner, English guitarist and songwriter (Judas Priest) 1980 – Karina Jacobsgaard, Danish tennis player 1981 – Zsolt Baumgartner, Hungarian race car driver 1981 – Abdülkadir Koçak, Turkish boxer 1981 – Mladen Petrić, Croatian footballer 1981 – Eden Riegel, American actress 1982 – David Nalbandian, Argentinian tennis player 1982 – Egidio Arévalo Ríos, Uruguayan footballer 1982 – Luke Rodgers, English footballer 1983 – Calum Davenport, English footballer 1983 – Melaine Walker, Jamaican hurdler 1984 – Christian Eigler, German footballer 1984 – Mohammed Ghaddar, Lebanese footballer 1984 – Paolo Guerrero, Peruvian footballer 1984 – Cheung Kin Fung, Hong Kong footballer 1984 – Stefano Pastrello, Italian footballer 1984 – Rubens Sambueza, Argentinian footballer 1984 – Michael Witt, Australian rugby player 1985 – Jeff Carter, Canadian ice hockey player 1985 – Steven Davis, Northern Irish footballer 1985 – Eyjólfur Héðinsson, Icelandic footballer and model 1985 – Tiago Splitter, Brazilian basketball player 1986 – Pablo Cuevas, Uruguayan tennis player 1986 – Glen Davis, American basketball player 1986 – Colin Morgan, Northern Irish actor 1987 – Gilbert Brulé, Canadian ice hockey player 1987 – Gia Coppola, American actress, director, and screenwriter 1987 – Meryl Davis, American ice dancer 1987 – Serdar Özkan, Turkish footballer 1987 – Devin Setoguchi, Canadian ice hockey player 1988 – Nelufar Hedayat, Afghan-English journalist 1988 – Ghazala Javed, Pakistani singer and dancer (d. 2012) 1988 – Dallas Keuchel, American baseball player 1988 – Grzegorz Panfil, Polish tennis player 1989 – Adèle Haenel, French actress 1989 – Stefan Reinartz, German footballer 1992 – Daniel Kofi Agyei, Ghanaian footballer 1992 – Jack Wilshere, English footballer 1993 – Jon Flanagan, English footballer 1993 – Michael Olaitan, Nigerian footballer 1994 – Craig Murray, Scottish footballer Deaths 510 – Eugendus, French abbot and saint (b. 449) 680 – Javanshir, Albanian king (b. 616) 898 – Odo of France (b. 860) 962 – Baldwin III, Count of Flanders (b. 940) 1204 – Haakon III of Norway (b. 1170) 1387 – Charles II of Navarre (b. 1332) 1515 – Louis XII of France (b. 1462) 1559 – Christian III of Denmark (b. 1503) 1560 – Joachim du Bellay, French poet and critic (b. 1522) 1617 – Hendrik Goltzius, Dutch painter and illustrator (b. 1558) 1697 – Filippo Baldinucci, Florentine historian and author (b. 1624) 1716 – William Wycherley, English playwright and poet (b. 1641) 1748 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and academic (b. 1667) 1759 – Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie, French diplomat (b. 1705) 1766 – James Francis Edward Stuart, English son of James II of England (b. 1688) 1780 – Johann Ludwig Krebs, German organist and composer (b. 1713) 1782 – Johann Christian Bach, German-English composer (b. 1735) 1789 – Fletcher Norton, 1st Baron Grantley, English lawyer and politician, British Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1716) 1793 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter and educator (b. 1712) 1796 – Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde, French mathematician and chemist (b. 1735) 1817 – Martin Heinrich Klaproth, German chemist and academic (b. 1743) 1846 – John Torrington, English soldier and explorer (b. 1825) 1853 – Gregory Blaxland, Australian farmer and explorer (b. 1778) 1862 – Mikhail Ostrogradsky, Ukrainian mathematician and physicist (b. 1801) 1881 – Louis Auguste Blanqui, French activist (b. 1805) 1892 – Roswell B. Mason, American lawyer and politician, 25th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1805) 1894 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist and academic (b. 1857) 1896 – Alfred Ely Beach, American publisher and lawyer, created the Beach Pneumatic Transit (b. 1826) 1906 – Hugh Nelson, Scottish-Australian farmer and politician, 11th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835) 1918 – William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet and author (b. 1858) 1919 – Mikhail Drozdovsky, Russian general (b. 1881) 1921 – Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, German lawyer and politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany (b. 1856) 1922 – István Kühár, Slovene priest and politician (b. 1887) 1929 – Mustafa Necati, Turkish civil servant and politician, Turkish Minister of Environment and Urban Planning (b. 1894) 1931 – Martinus Beijerinck, Dutch microbiologist and botanist (b. 1851) 1937 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (b. 1874) 1940 – Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao, Indian author and educator (b. 1865) 1944 – Edwin Lutyens, English architect, designed the Castle Drogo and Thiepval Memorial (b. 1869) 1944 – Charles Turner, Australian cricketer (b. 1862) 1953 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drifting Cowboys) (b. 1923) 1954 – Duff Cooper, English politician and diplomat, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1890) 1954 – Leonard Bacon, American poet and critic (b. 1887) 1955 – Arthur C. Parker, American archaeologist and historian (b. 1881) 1955 – Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, Indian chemist and academic (b. 1894) 1958 – Edward Weston, American photographer (b. 1886) 1960 – Margaret Sullavan, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1909) 1965 – Emma Asson, Estonian historian and politician (b. 1889) 1966 – Vincent Auriol, French journalist and politician, 16th President of the French Republic (b. 1884) 1969 – Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright and screenwriter (b. 1902) 1969 – Bruno Söderström, Swedish pole vaulter and javelin thrower (b. 1888) 1971 – Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Ukrainian saint (b. 1894) 1972 – Maurice Chevalier, French actor and singer (b. 1888) 1973 – Sergei Kourdakov, Russian KGB agent (b. 1951) 1978 – Don Freeman, American author and illustrator (b. 1908) 1978 – S. Poniman, Indonesian singer and actor (b. 1910) 1980 – Pietro Nenni, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1891) 1981 – Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist (b. 1920) 1982 – Victor Buono, American actor (b. 1938) 1983 – David Buttolph, American film composer (d. 1902) 1984 – Alexis Korner, French-English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Blues Incorporated and Collective Consciousness Society) (b. 1928) 1985 – Sigerson Clifford, Irish poet, playwright, and civil servant (b. 1913) 1992 – Grace Hopper, American computer scientist and admiral, co-developed COBOL (b. 1906) 1994 – Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt, New Zealand physician and politician, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand (b. 1900) 1994 – Cesar Romero, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1907) 1994 – Edward Arthur Thompson, Irish historian and academic (b. 1914) 1995 – Fred West, English serial killer (b. 1941) 1995 – Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902) 1996 – Arleigh Burke, American admiral (b. 1901) 1996 – Arthur Rudolph, German-American engineer (b. 1906) 1997 – Ivan Graziani, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1945) 1997 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1944) 1998 – Helen Wills, American tennis player and coach (b. 1905) 2000 – Colin Vaughan, Australian-Canadian journalist and activist (b. 1931) 2001 – Ray Walston, American actor (b. 1914) 2002 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (b. 1944) 2003 – Royce D. Applegate, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1939) 2003 – Joe Foss, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1915) 2005 – Shirley Chisholm, American educator and politician (b. 1924) 2005 – Eugene J. Martin, American painter (b. 1938) 2006 – Dawn Lake, Australian comedian, actress, and singer (b. 1927) 2006 – Harry Magdoff, American economist and journalist (b. 1913) 2007 – Leon Davidson, American chemist and engineer (b. 1922) 2007 – Roland Levinsky, South African-English biochemist and academic (b. 1943) 2007 – Tillie Olsen American novelist and short story writer (b. 1912) 2008 – Salvatore Bonanno, American mobster (b. 1932) 2008 – Pratap Chandra Chunder, Indian educator and politician 2008 – Harold Corsini, American photographer and educator (b. 1919) 2009 – Claiborne Pell, American politician (b. 1918) 2009 – Nizar Rayan, Palestinian Hamas leader (b. 1962) 2010 – Lhasa de Sela, American-Mexican singer-songwriter (b. 1972) 2011 – Marin Constantin, Romanian composer and conductor (b. 1925) 2011 – Flemming Jørgensen, Danish singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (Bamses Venner) (b. 1947) 2012 – Bob Anderson, English fencer, stuntman, and choreographer (b. 1922) 2012 – Kiro Gligorov, Bulgarian-Macedonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1917) 2012 – Nay Win Maung, Burmese physician, businessman, and activist (b. 1962) 2012 – Tommy Mont, American football player and coach (b. 1922) 2013 – Michael Patrick Cronan, American graphic designer (b. 1951) 2013 – Gerhard Fischer, German SS officer (b. 1922) 2013 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, English journalist (b. 1945) 2013 – Patti Page, American singer and actress (b. 1927) 2014 – Pete DeCoursey, American journalist (b. 1961) 2014 – Michael Glennon, Australian priest (b. 1944) 2014 – Higashifushimi Kunihide, Japanese monk and educator (b. 1910) 2014 – William Mgimwa, Tanzanian banker and politician, 13th Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b. 1950) 2014 – Juanita Moore, American actress (b. 1914) 2015 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (b. 1932) 2015 – Donna Douglas, American actress (b. 1932) 2015 – Jeff Golub, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1955) 2015 – Omar Karami, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 58th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1934) 2015 – Boris Morukov, Russian physician and astronaut (b. 1950) 2015 – Ninón Sevilla, Cuban-Mexican actress and dancer (b. 1929) 2016 – Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (b. 1932) 2016 – Dale Bumpers, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1925) 2016 – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944) 2016 – Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-American cinematographer and producer (b. 1930) Holidays and observances Christian feast day: Adalard of Corbie Basil the Great (Eastern Orthodox Church) Feast of the Circumcision of Christ Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church) Feast of Fools (Medieval Europe) Fulgentius of Ruspe Giuseppe Maria Tomasi Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Octave Day of Christmas, considered a holy day of obligation in some countries (Catholic Church); and its related observances: World Day of Peace Telemachus Zygmunt Gorazdowski January 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Earliest day on which Handsel Monday can fall, while January 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday of the year (Scotland) Second day of Hogmanay (Scotland) December 31-January 1, in some cases until January 2. The last day of Kwanzaa (African-Americans) The eighth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity) Constitution Day (Italy) Dissolution of Czechoslovakia-related observances: Day of the Establishment of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia) Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State (Czech Republic) Flag Day (Lithuania) commemorates raising of the Lithuanian flag on Gediminas' Tower in 1919 Founding Day (Taiwan) commemorates the establishment of the Provisional Government in Nanjing Global Family Day Independence Day (Brunei, Haiti, Sudan) Jump-up Day (Montserrat) Kalpataru Day (Ramakrishna Movement) Kamakura Ebisu, January 1–3. (Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan) National Tree Planting Day (Tanzania) New Year's Day (Gregorian calendar) Japanese New Year Sougwachi (Ryukyuan religion) Public Domain Day (multiple countries) Triumph of the Revolution (Cuba) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to January 1. BBC: On This Day The New York Times: On This Day On This Day in Canada Category:Days of the year Category:January